Winter's Fire
by Charles Granger
Summary: Christmas at Hogwarts. Cho loves Harry, but when she finally works up the courage to tell him, she gets a little off-course.
1. The Wrong Thing to Say

**Disclaimer:  This story was written using characters and situations created by the Goddess J.K. Rowling.  I own nothing.  Anyone who says or thinks otherwise is smoking some really strange crack. . . .**

A/N:  Um yeah, I'm not really sure where I'm going with this story as of yet.  This is my first fanfic so please bear with me.  I'm open to any ideas and criticism, as long as I can use them.  I might change the title as I go and I'll be constantly checking for my own mistakes, so don't be surprised if things get changed around.  

*This story takes place during Harry's fifth year (as if the OotP never happened, kinda like an alternate Potter universe.)

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Winter's Fire

Prologue:  The Wrong Thing to Say

The Gryffindor common room

            The first snow of the season is always a beautiful one at Hogwarts.  The ancient castle stands gray and alone in a sea of white.  The trees of the Forbidden Forest are frosted over.  The lake is covered in ice.  Hagrid's hut looks like a frosted gingerbread house with smoke slowly rising from the chimney.  The entire scene looks likes Heaven in the winter.

            Harry Potter always enjoyed when the snow came.  For him, the snow meant not only a beautiful and somewhat romantic environment, but also the coming of great times.  With snow and winter weather came snowball fights, sledding, wonderful feasts inside the Great Hall and cheerful times in the cozy Gryffindor common room.  But most of all, with winter came the end to classes and more free time to spend with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

            It was the evening of the last day of the term.  With the danger of You-Know-You lurking in the shadows, many of the students of Hogwarts had elected to remain over for the holidays.  Right now, in the late hours of the evening a light wind blew across the windows of the crowded Gryffindor common room.  Nearly everyone was busy enjoying their time together as a House.  A hundred conversations were set against the background of the merrily crackling of the fire and the soft whoosh of the wind.  The smell of butterbeer lingered in the air with that of holly decorations and burning cider from the fireplace.  Couples snuggled together near the fire's warmth.  Several students were laughing heartily over butterbeers while being entertained by the Weasley twins – Fred and George.    

            Off to one side of the fireplace, snuggled away from everyone else, Harry Potter and his friends were engaged in quiet conversation, occasionally interrupted by periodical sips from their butterbeers, which were courtesy of the Weasley twins.

            Ron bent down to read to cover of the massive book Hermione was reading.

            "War and Peace?  Honestly. We really need to get Hermione a boyfriend," Ron chortled.

            Hermione spoke, not bothering taking her eyes off the page "Give it a rest Ron.  I _don't_ need a boyfriend."

            "He's right you know.  You'll just be stuck with us for the rest of her life," said Harry seriously.

            Ron sniggered rather loudly.

            Harry sipped from his bottle and pointed at Hermione with it still in his right hand.  "You're missing out on a lot Hermione.  You're forgetting to be a teenager."

            Hermione looked up; her eyes were shining from tears to come.  "You know," she sniffled, "it's not like I haven't tried." 

            She slammed the book shut, stood up and walked briskly up the staircase to the girls' dormitories, her face buried in her hands.  Ron and Harry were both too stunned to follow; each exchanged looks that meant something like _what did we do this time?  But both of them knew exactly what they had done.  They had struck a nerve with Hermione.  She was always very sensitive when it came to the subject of her _ahem _private life, or the lack thereof.  Harry and Ron knew that when Hermione got into a mood such as that which she was in right now, it was best to leave her alone._

            Hermione slipped gracefully into the empty girls' dormitory and sat cross-legged on her bed.  She stayed silent for a moment or two, tears streaking down her porcelain face.  Soon, the implications of what Harry had said hit her full force.  _Maybe I'll never be loved _she thought.  Hermione burst into hysterical tears.  She cried and cried.  Soon, her face and the front of her sweater were soaked in tears.  Hermione grabbed a pillow and squeezed hard.  As she sat on her bed and cried her eyes out.  She wished, in vein she knew, that Harry and Ron would come in and comfort her.  That's what she needed right now.  But her only comfort this time would be the gentle whoosh of the wind, her own rhythmic breathing and the sound of her tears.  Within fifteen minutes, she had cried herself to sleep.  This wasn't the first time either.

            Back in the common room, Harry and Ron just looked at each other for a moment or two before continuing their conversation.  They talked well into the night.  Hermione's overturned butterbeer and thick novel lay forgotten.  Little by little, the common room began to empty as students went to bed.  The fire died down to a few pathetic embers and the wind now blew even louder and harder.  As Harry talked with Ron, his mind continually wandered to the warmth found within the covers of his four-poster bed.  He checked his watch.  It was now well past midnight.

            He yawned more dramatically then he had meant.  "Well Ron, I think it's about time we turned in."

            Ron smiled.  "God, I was beginning to think you'd never -" his last words were stifled by a massive yawn.  Without another word, he stood and walked to the staircase, clapping Harry on the shoulder as he went.  Harry quickly followed suit.  The climb up the stairs seemed to take ages.  Finally, Harry and Ron reached their dormitory and stumbled inside.  Silently, they pulled off their robes and slipped into their pajamas.  Harry climbed gratefully between the warm sheets of his crimson four-poster bed.  He didn't think about Hermione or anything else for that matter as he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

            Hermione awoke in the middle of night to find she was still fully-clothed, curled up into a small ball and sucking on her thumb.  It was freezing cold in her room.  She pulled off her clothes and piled them next to her bed.  Hermione crawled under the warm covers and was soon asleep, unconsciously raising her hand to her face and sticking her thumb in her mouth.  The rest of the night passed without incident.  Hermione slept fitfully for the first time in months, even if she had cried herself unconscious.  

            Harry stirred in his bed early the next morning.  The bed was so comfortable and warm.  Harry didn't want to get out, be he knew he must.  Slowly and carefully, he swung himself into a sitting position.  When his feet make contact with the cold hardwood floor, he shivered.  He scratched his hair and looked around the room.  Everyone was still sound asleep.  With a quick glance at his watch, he stood up and splashed his face with cold water.  Once he was half-awake, he grabbed a towel and shuffled to the shower.

            Meanwhile, Hermione lay in her bed with her eyes open for a long time.  She was thinking.  She was thinking about last night and whether or not she should be mad at Harry and Ron.  After careful consideration, she decided it wouldn't be prudent to continue being angry with them.  After all, they were only looking out for their friend's social welfare.  It's not like they were making fun of her or anything.  She smiled to herself and swung out of bed.  She wrapped herself in a robe and walked with purpose toward the shower stalls at the far side of the dorms.

            Harry dried himself off and dressed quickly.  Slowly, the dorms were beginning to come alive.  Neville and Dean were already gone, perhaps to the common room.  Ron was just getting up.  Without a word to Ron, Harry vanished from the dormitories and stormed down the staircase, anxious to find Hermione.

            He found her standing next to the fire with her arms crossed, staring into its flames.  Harry walked up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.  To his surprise, she smiled at him.  Jumping at his fortune, he spoke.

            "Look Hermione, er – I'm really sorry about last night.  It was the wrong thing to say," he looked at her with pleading eyes.

            Hermione looked away toward the fire.  "I know," she whispered.  "Just promise me you'll never do that again."

            "I promise, Hermione," Harry croaked.

            She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.  After a moment of just standing there, Hermione straightened up and spoke. 

            "C'mon Harry, let's get some breakfast," she said.  For some strange reason, she didn't feel like waiting for Ron.

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A/N:  Okay people, please review and let me know what you think.  This is just a prologue; I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can.


	2. The Ravenclaw Point of View

**Disclaimer:  This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by the wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling who has graciously allowed us who write to use them without disemboweling us.  I own nothing.**

A/N:  First off, I'm really sorry for taking so bloody long to get this chapter up.  I've been writing a lot, but I just haven't found exactly what I want.  But I think I've got it here. A big hearty thanks to all those who reviewed; especially to Nicole Ann Wood, who serves as my beta reader.  Love you guys.

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Winter's Fire

Chapter One:  The Ravenclaw point of view

The Ravenclaw common room

            An eerie wind rattled the windows of the nearly empty common room.  Unlike the Gryffindors, who were usually very rowdy and loud, the majority of Ravenclaw students preferred quiet and calm.  Right now however, most of the students were away for the Christmas holidays.  The only people who remained were a sandy-haired fourth year boy and a somber-looking girl by the name of Cho Chang.

            Cho stared out the window at the frozen landscape.  She had stayed behind this Christmas for three reasons, but she'd only tell you two if you managed to corner her.  She had stayed behind because she hadn't wanted to go home and deal with her parents, who were always pushing her to succeed, whether in the magical or Muggle world.  She just didn't want to deal with them.  The other reason she'd admit to was because she wanted to escape her stifling crowd of over-protective friends.  Well, they weren't really friends, more like acquaintances who she associated herself with just to stay popular.  Her real friends weren't popular at all, of course no one knew about them.  Who would want everyone to know that her best friend was a neurotic and breathless Gryffindor two years below her?

            That's what Cho admired most in people – she liked people who weren't afraid to show the real them.  Perhaps then, that's why she was drawn to people like Luna Lovegood, Colin Creevy and Neville Longbottom.  Those were her real friends.  Nobody knew about that of course, they only hung out on weekends, holidays and summers – whenever her entourage of "popular" friends wasn't around.

            The third and most secret reason she had elected to stay was because she wanted to make some new friends, or more specifically one new friend.  Ever since her second year, she had envied the closeness Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter shared.  She wanted those kinds of friends – the kind that she would hang out with long after she had left Hogwarts.  She was determined to make friends with those three, because she liked all three of them.  But in truth, she wanted to be more than just friends with Harry Potter.

            Cho had harbored a crush for the dashing boy since her fourth year, when she had first played him at quidditch.  She was tired of beating around the bush and she was going to make her move – in the next couple of days.  Her plan was actually very simple.  Since most of the school was gone for the better part of two weeks, she would be able to try and befriend Harry and company without being harassed by the status-conscience student body. 

            The winter weather was depressing her even further.  She jumped off the window sill and dashed up the staircase and flung herself onto her bed.  She laughed loudly at her own immaturity and began to pull her clothes off.  Cho didn't even bother to put on her pajamas since there wasn't anyone else in the room.  She just fell asleep right there with a steady wind blowing outside her window.

            Cho awoke in the middle of the night, shivering.  She took a moment to realize she was lying on top of her blankets dressed in nothing but her underwear.  She sat up and rubbed her eyes.  Outside her window, a fierce blizzard howled.  Cho stood and planted her feet on the cold wood floor and a sudden chill ran though her body.  She walked quickly to her dresser and pulled out a set of cotton pajamas.  She pulled off her underwear, making a mental note to switch to cotton and pulled on her warm pjs.  Yawning, she walked back to her bed and crawled under the warm blankets.  Within minutes, she was once again fast asleep. . . 

            When the weak sun finally peaked through her curtains, the blizzard was gone, but a prevailing window still howled and the sky was an ominous gray.  She leaned her head against the cold stone of the window frame and looked out into the winter landscape.  She sighed and dressed quickly.  Today was going to be a cold one, so Cho decided that she was going to wear pants instead of the pleated skirt she was known for.  She wrapped her scarf around her neck, put her gloves in her pockets and flung her cloak around her shoulders.  

            As expected, the common room was empty.  Cho walked gracefully down the spiral staircase and across the deserted common room.  She flopped down in a large, cushy chair next to the fire.  She glanced at her watch.  It was 9 o'clock.  If she hurried, she might be able to catch Harry and his friends at breakfast.  Cho sighed, jumped up from the chair and flew out of the portrait hole.  Within two minutes of leaving the common room, she found herself standing in front of the entrance to the Great Hall.

            The Hall was almost totally deserted.  At the Slytherin table, only a few students sat eating quietly.  The Hufflepuff table was empty, as was the Ravenclaw table.  As Cho's eyes came across the Gryffindor table, her heart leapt.  Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together talking quietly.  She walked toward the table and stopped across from them.  At first, her presence went unnoticed.  Then Ron looked up from his plate.  He was startled.  Ron nudged Harry; Harry looked up and nearly choked on his bacon.  Hermione smiled up at her.

            Cho begin to wring her hands nervously.  "I was wondering if I could eat with you guys," she looked into Harry's bright green eyes, "I – I just don't want to eat alone."

            Harry just stared at the beautiful young woman standing across from him.  Ron followed suit.  It was Hermione who finally broke the tension.  

She beamed up at her.  "Sure Cho, sit down."  Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.

Cho sighed with relief and plopped down in a seat across from Hermione, who was seated between the other two.  An awkward silence fell over the table.

It was Harry's turn to try and break the ice.  "So Cho, what do you think of all this business with that Umbridge woman?"  Cho just rolled her eyes.

For nearly forty-five minutes, the usually quite Cho Chang talked on and on about just how much she loathed and despised Dolores Umbridge.  The four talked quite animatedly about what pissed them off most about her and what they would do if ever they were given the chance to beat the snot out of her.  Even Hermione, who never spoke ill f teachers, occasionally contributed something to the conversation.  It seemed as though Cho had been part of the gang the whole time.  With time, Harry Ron and Hermione soon learned that Cho Chang was very different from what people made her out to be.  She actually detested all the attention she was given and was in fact a very down-to-earth girl.  Cho, in turn, was absolutely delighted with the new companionship she had found.  It was everything she had hoped for.  These three were true friends, not ones hung on status and popularity.  It was by far the best breakfast she'd had in a long while.

Eventually, the hearty laughed died down to chuckles as the foursome ran out of jokes and mean things to say about Umbridge.  It was nearing ten o'clock.  Cho didn't want this time to come to an end, but she knew it was coming.  Suddenly, Ron spoke.  "Well, as fun as this has been – I think we'd have even more fun out in the snow, eh?"  Harry and Hermione both nodded enthusiastically.  Cho went back to wringing her hands.  As the trio got up from the table, Cho looked after them longingly.  Just as they had reached the door and Cho's hope of going out with them was about to vanish, Ron turned.

"Oy Cho!  Are you coming or not?" he shouted, waving frantically.  Harry and Hermione burst out laughing.  For some reason, Cho started laughing too.  The four of them ran all the way though the castle and out into the grounds.  A gentle snow was falling on them and the wind was gone.  The sky was now a crystalline blue. It was perfect.  For that moment, Cho Chang forgot that her robes didn't have a lion on them.  For that moment, she was with friends, and it was beautiful.  

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************A/N:  Okay people, again, I apologize for taking almost a month to post this, but school's really been crazy.  Tomorrow's a day off for me, so I should be able to get another chapter up, this time with some action.  Oh, and keep your eye on Hermione.  She's gonna be getting real jealous, but who she's jealous of is a secret.  And again, a big thanks to those who reviewed.****


	3. A realization

**Disclaimer:  I own nothing, end of story.**

A/N:  Okay, I have a lot of great ideas for this story.  I'm going to try and update once a day or so with new material.  A lot of things are going to be happening and a lot of them might not make sense now, but they will.  Anyway, enjoy the chapter.  Thank you all who read and reviewed, I appreciate it.

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Winter's Fire

Chapter Two: A Realization

The Hogwarts grounds – northeast of the castle

            Harry, Hermione, Ron and Cho ran out of the north doors and out into the grounds.  The laughing soon died down as each of them looked at the beauty that surrounded them.  Hermione stood next to Cho, breathing hard from the run through the castle.  Her breath rose in columns of moisture when it touched the cold air.  She looked over at Cho and smiled.  She smiled back.  Hermione turned her head to Harry and Ron, who were busy goggling at Cho.  She shot them a dirty look.

            "Okay.  We'll split up into two teams," Harry announced.  "I'll go with Ron; Hermione, you'll go with Cho."

            Hermione elbowed Cho.  "They always pick the other one.  Never me," Hermione whispered.  Cho just smiled up at her.  "Well, we'll just have to make them regret it, won't we?"

            Harry went on like he hadn't heard a thing, and knowing him, he probably didn't.  "Each team will get a two minute start.  On my count, three . . . two . . . one. . . ._Go!"_

            Ron dashed off with Harry.  Cho grabbed Hermione's arm and led her into a patch of trees.  Here, they waited as the two-minute head-start went by.  When there time was finally up, the land around them was silent.  Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen, but Hermione knew that they were out there.  She and Cho crouched low and silently began to prepare an arsenal of snowballs.  Hermione knocked herself mentally when she saw that Cho had a pair of gloves.  She had left hers in her dormitory.  By the time she and Cho had a sizable reserve of snowballs, Hermione's hands were wet and freezing.  She pretended that she didn't notice – Hermione didn't want Cho to think there was a reason the boys never picked her.

            As Hermione looked over the calm landscape, a fluffy snowball hit her square in the nose.  Harry's laughter filled the air, but it was ended abruptly by a shriek as Cho whirred around and pegged Harry in the mouth as he hid in a nearby bush.  Ron panicked and ran out into the open.  Hermione pulled herself together and nailed Ron in his back.  Soon, snowballs were flying left and right.  Cho was hit about seven times; Hermione was bashed, as were the boys (Harry had his glasses broken twice).  The frenzied activity lasted until both sides had expended their snowball reserves.  After that, the four had to make their snowballs as they went, so things went a lot slower.  It finally ended with Harry being cornered by Hermione, who flung snowballs at him as fast as Cho could make them.  Harry surrendered before Ron could try and rescue him.  Ron, realizing it was hopeless to resist without Harry, gave up as well.

            Hermione and Cho cheered loudly.  The two boys scowled.  Ron, finally having enough, rushed Cho and knocked her playfully into the wet snow.  "Ha!" he said in triumph.

            Harry quickly followed suit.  He knocked Hermione around the waist, but she had the sense to hold on to Harry as she fell backwards.  They both fell into the mushy snow.  Only Ron was left dry – but only for a moment.  Harry, Hermione, and Cho exchanged glances and jumped to their feet.  Ron realized what was going on and tried to run, only to discover that he had back himself into a corner.  The other three advanced on poor Ron like a pack of lions closing in on a wounded gazelle.  Hermione leapt at Ron, he pushed her away, but lost his balance as he did so.  Seeing this, Harry drove at him, knocking him flat into the snow, face first.  Meanwhile, Hermione had run into Cho, knocking her over.  Hermione fell over on top of her.  For a moment, the two girls lay on top of each other - Hermione's chest pressed against Cho's.  They looked into each other's eyes.  For the first time, Hermione saw just how beautiful Cho was lying underneath her, breathing deeply.  Cho saw it too.   Slowly, their eyes closed and their lips begin to come together.   Just when they were about to kiss, Hermione pulled away.  She quickly jumped to her feet, leaving Cho in the snow.  Not wanting to be a total jerk, she reached down to help Cho up.  She refused Hermione's outstretched hand and pushed herself up.  Hermione quickly turned to the boys to see if they saw any of what had just happened.

            Thankfully, neither Ron nor Harry seemed to have noticed the near-kiss.  A soggy Ron was too busy pushing Harry's head into the snow.  Hermione couldn't help but laugh.  Cho stood next to her, laughing.  She made eye contact with Hermione and pressed a finger against her pale lips.  "Shhh," she whispered.  Hermione smiled with relief and turned to pull Ron off of Harry.  Once more, the four of them burst out laughing.  Once Ron could speak, he voiced the thoughts of both Harry and Hermione.  "What do you say to voting Cho into our little gang?"

            Both Harry and Hermione nodded their approval.  Cho blushed crimson.  "Oh you guys, you have no idea how glad I am that you said that."  Harry patted her back, as did Ron.  Hermione rubbed her back in small circles.  "Cho," Hermione said, "would you like to spend the vacation with us in the Gryffindor common room?  I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't mind, we could say it's to improve inter-house relations." 

            "I certainly wouldn't have a problem with it," observed Harry.

            "Neither would I," added Ron.

            Cho stood rooted on the spot, hardly daring to believe her ears.  She was being invited to spend the vacation in the Gryffindor common room, in conversation with the three people she had most wanted to stay with.  She smiled, "I'd love to, but where would I sleep?"

            "Well, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore wouldn't mind putting an extra bed my dormitory," Hermione said cheerfully.

            Cho was nearly jumping with joy "Oh, this is just wonderful news.  I'll have to pack my stuff.  I hope the rest of the Gryffindors won't mind having me there."

            Harry chuckled.  "Nah, we Gryffindors are a very accepting lot – as long as you're not a Slytherin."

            "It's settled then," Ron announced.  "Hermione, why don't you and I go to Dumbledore straightaway and make arrangements?  Harry can escort Cho to her common room.  Why don't we all meet in the library just before lunch?"

            "Okay," sang Hermione.

            "Gotcha," Harry said.

            "See you then," said Cho happily.

            Ron and Hermione went into the castle and headed to Dumbledore's office.  As she walked away, Hermione looked over her shoulder and right at Cho.  She silently cursed herself for almost kissing her.  _She was a girl for Christ's sake!  It was all behind her now.  Only she and Cho knew and Hermione was pretty sure Cho wouldn't tell anyone.  She had a much bigger reputation to protect.  By the time she and Ron reached the stone gargoyle outside of the Headmaster's office, she had completely forgotten about the whole incident._

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A/N:  How did you like this chapter?  I wanted to throw a surprise in there somewhere, hope you like it.  I'm pretty sure this'll end up being a Cho/Harry romance, but please don't get mad at me if there's some Cho/Hermione love going on as well.  I wanted to make this one different.  And thanks to everyone who has reviewed.  I'll really try to keep up with this story.  Please throw and suggestions in your reviews.  Thanks a bunch!


	4. A halfhearted confession

**Disclaimer:  Once again, I am forced to remind the dull among us that (wait for it) I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter.  Disappointing isn't it?**

A/N:  How do you like it so far?  I think I'm going to throw in some curve-balls in this one.  Hopefully, you guys will find this story to be a nice break from some of the other stories out there. . . 

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Winter's Fire

Chapter Three:  A half-hearted confession

The south corridor leading to the Ravenclaw common room

            Cho Chang was even more eager to forget what had just transpired between herself and Hermione Granger.  That was the last thing she needed.  Cho walked on Harry's left side down the corridor.  They walked in silence, very close together, occasionally brushing hands.  Every once and a while, Harry would turn to her and give her a reassuring look.  Cho would return his somber look with a quick smile.  They didn't speak until they reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room, which was a large statute of a bronze eagle at the end of Rowena Hall near the kitchens.

            "This is it," Cho whispered.

            Harry nodded.  "Well go ahead.  We need to hurry."

            "Right, um let's see, 'Lysander,'" she whispered to the statue.

            It swung outward revealing a small passageway, much like the one leading into the Gryffindor common room.  Cho and Harry walked across the soft blue carpet and into the room.  The Ravenclaw common room was a splendid affair.  It was just like a comfortable library.  The walls were lined with dusty old novels.  Several crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, providing ample light in the room.  The furniture was a dark blue in color, with oak trimmings.  It was arranged in several living room-type sections – couches and a few loveseats surrounding a coffee table with silver utensils on it.  A huge powder-blue fireplace with gold plating occupied one entire wall.  The whole room, much like the rest of Hogwarts, seemed timeless.

            Harry was busy looking around the room whilst Cho steered him to a seat next to the fire.  As soon as Harry felt he had seen enough, he turned his attention to Cho.  Not for the first time, he saw her beauty.  Now that he had seen what she was really like, he wanted her even more.  It was Cho who spoke first.  "I was so glad when he wanted you to go with me."

            Harry blushed slightly.  "Well Ron's a good man; he knew I'd want to go with you.  No offense to Hermione, but I've seen enough of her to last a lifetime."

            Cho wondered what exactly he had meant by this, but quickly pushed the thought aside as she mustered all the courage she had to say her next few words.  "I guess I'm glad you came with me because there's something I need to tell you."

            Harry sat up very straight in his seat, listening carefully.

            Cho cleared her throat and reached out for Harry's limp hand.  She messaged it gently, to let him know that she was sincere.  Harry did nothing but looked at her hand caress his.

            She spoke, "Harry, last year, when you asked me to the Yule Ball, I had a realization.  And that was that I was in love with you." 

            Harry said nothing as Cho talked more to his hand then himself.

            "At first it was just puppy love, you know, a crush."  She was having difficulty speaking now, a tear formed at the corner of her eye.  "But after a time, my crush developed into a blossoming love.  When Cedric died, I wanted to run to you so badly, because I knew that you could understand me – no one else could, but then I thought of what it would look if I came to you."

            Harry lifted her chin with his free hand and looked straight into her eyes.  He squeezed her hand to reassure her.

            Refreshed by Harry's response, Cho continued.  "I couldn't stop thinking about you over the summer.  I used to go to bed at night, praying that I would dream of you.  When I finally came back to school, I was set on telling you how I felt.  I spent all of last term planning out just how I would tell you.  That's why I stayed over for Christmas."

            Harry just wanted to scream "I love you too," but held his tongue.  He knew Cho wasn't quite finished.

            "Well, my plan was going great until I went to play outside with you guys.  As I walked with you, I knew that now would be the time to tell you," she laughed.  "So much for the plan, huh?"

            Harry just looked at her delicate beauty for a moment or two before he knew it was now or never.  He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.  Eventually, Cho's mouth opened enough for Harry to allow his tongue to explore her mouth.  They remained locked in a passionate kiss for nearly two minutes.  Finally, their lips parted with a loud _smack and Harry opened his eyes to see a pleasantly surprised Cho.  "How's that for an answer?"   Harry asked._

            Cho flung her arms around Harry and laughed.  "Are we official then?" she inquired.

            Harry squeezed her hard.  "Oh yes, we are so official."

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A/N:  Okay peps, sorry for the short chapter.  I promise I'll have more up soon.  Please tell me what you think.  I'll be working my butt off in the next few days.  I'm excited to get to the juicy part of this story.  Sneak Peek:  Hermione's not happy about Harry's new girlfriend, or is it that she's not happy about Cho's new boyfriend?  Who knows?  And what about poor Ron?  Ah, I love being the one who sets the suspense.


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